Law School fees will rise for new students

By Andrea Kelley
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Monday, December 1, 2003

Incoming law students at the UA’s James E. Rogers College of Law will pay
higher fees for their education, but administrators hope students see it as a
trade-off for a better education.

“People have the mindset that you get what you pay for, and it truly is
worth it,” said Verlaine Walker, the coordinator for the pre-law advising
program.

The Arizona Board of Regents decided in its Nov. 21 meeting to raise the fees
for both the juris doctor and master of law degrees to $8,250. These fees will
apply only to new students in each degree program, and will be in addition to
the college’s tuition.

Those already working toward degrees will continue to pay the fees they paid
when they started at the college.

The fees for students in the JD program were $6,750 and will increase by
$1,500 beginning next fall.

Students seeking an LLM degree were paying $7,750 in fees, which will also
increase to $8,250.

The revenue the funds bring in will be divided two ways.

The school is required to devote 15 percent of the fees to financial aid. The
other 85 percent will be used towards faculty, staff and the law library, said
Nancy Stanley, assistant director of development and public relations at the
college.

The law library needs funds to maintain the collection and update technology,
said Michael Chiorazzi, a professor of law and director of the law library.

Toni Massaro, the dean of the College of Law, said the students have been
supportive because they see the benefits in a direct relation between cost and
quality.

“Our students have supported this because they recognize the value of
attending a school with top-flight teachers and scholars,” Massaro said.

With more money, the school can focus on recruiting and retaining faculty and
using the reputation the college already has to help students earn back the
money spent on education.

“I don’t think (the increase) is going to have a large impact,” Walker
said. “Our school is one of the best buys in the state and the country.”

It costs $23,000 per year to educate one student, said Stanley, but tuition
this year was just above $10,000 for Arizona residents. The fees are added to
the cost of tuition, but comparatively, the UA has one of the lowest tuition
rates.

“We’re ranked in various studies as a real good value,” Stanley said.

Of the top 25 public law schools in the nation, the UA sits in the 16th spot
by tuition, below the average of about $13,000.